Counting my blessings

Even though this journey through mental illness has not been something I would have asked for, I truly have a lot to be thankful for, and sometimes I forget that. Here are a few of those:

1. We bought a relatively inexpensive house, and so far I have been able to pay most of the important bills.
2. We both have strong family ties and both of our families have helped us with financial stuff and emotional stuff.
3. While we have been hesitant to share the truth about DH's bipolar, the friends who DO know what is going on, have, to the best of their abilities, been supportive, and even if they are uncomfortable with the situation, they have not abandoned us.
4. Our daughter, who was pretty unstable for several years before this, has been mostly stable for the last several months.
5. Because of our daughter's special needs, we have been less troubled about receiving services via the county than we would have otherwise.
6. I had learned to conserve money and to be frugal before I was forced to live that way.

As I was typing, I realized that there really is an endless list of things I am thankful for. And most of all, I need to remind myself that there are families that are going through much more troubling times that ours is--it's just that I have never dealt with these issues before, so I guess I still have a lot of whining to do! But I do understand that our problems are probably pretty small compared to some of yours, and remembering that also helps me remember to be grateful.